Health-food chain ProteinHouse is coming to Turlock.

With 17 restaurants in operation throughout the country, Turlock is poised to become home to No. 18 — or 19 if the soon-to-open restaurant in Tempe, Ariz. beats Turlock to the finish line.

“We’re set to open sometime late next month,” said Mark Ponticelli, who co-owns ProteinHouse locations in Modesto and Sacramento with his brother-in-law, January Siphan, a former Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy and Modesto police officer. “We’re super excited.”

Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., ProteinHouse offers a wide array of healthy food and drink options for breakfast, lunch and dinner — for dine-in or to go.

From Protein Pancakes to an egg-white and turkey-bacon sandwich served on an Ezekiel English muffin, there’s something for every breakfast appetite. There’s also build-your-own breakfast options.

The lunch and dinner menu includes burgers (beef, turkey, salmon, and vegan options), burritos, wraps, salads and more. 

In addition to açai bowls and shakes, there’s a wide array of protein shakes. The menu also includes side orders and something for kids.

But this isn’t just for bodybuilders and high-level athletes.

“It’s for anybody that is looking to eat clean, the way we should be eating,” said Ponticelli. “No processed foods and no added sugars. We use the highest quality ingredients.”

Currently, there are three ProteinHouse locations in Arizona, two in California, Nevada and Texas, six in the Midwest, and one on the East Coast.

After his first encounter with the establishment, Ponticelli believed so strongly in ProteinHouse’s mission — aiming to provide nutritious, all natural, quality recipes that promote both physical and mental wellness — he arranged through a friend to meet with the franchise owner about opening stores in California.

He was rebuffed.

“The owner had a bad experience with previous business dealings in California and wasn’t really interested in expanding here,” he said.

But Ponticelli was persistent. And, finally, he was granted a franchise, provided that he agreed to open a total of five restaurants — not just one. Ponticelli was amenable, but only if he could have the exclusive rights to all future locations in California.

A deal was forged, and Ponticelli was on his way, imagining a future ProteinHouse on Muscle Beach in Santa Monica.

“That would be awesome,” said Ponticelli. “But right now, it’s about building the brand.”

ProteinHouse in Turlock will be located at 1858 Countryside Drive, next to General Nutrition Center, in the Walmart shopping plaza. The Modesto restaurant is located at 4800 Dale Rd.